Roger Mills
Director
Sahara with Michael Palin (2002)
Season 1
In this four-part BBC documentary, former Monty Python funnyman and renowned globe-trotter Michael Palin sets off from Gibraltar to travel across the Sahara, his witty humor downplaying the hardships he faces along the arduous journey. He travels to Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and beyond, across some of the harshest terrain on the planet.
Released Oct. 13, 2002
Episode 60 min
None+
Genres: Documentary
Keywords: tmdb.africa, tmdb.mountain, tmdb.morocco, tmdb.travel, tmdb.desert, tmdb.culture, mdblist.imdb-tv-mini-series + 9 more, imdb.sahara-desert, imdb.year-2001, imdb.tv-mini-series, tmdb.sahara-desert, imdb.travelogue, imdb.desert, imdb.travel, imdb.voice-over-narration, imdb.travel-documentary
Production Companies: BBC, Prominent Television
Network: BBC One
Country: United Kingdom
Languages:
English,
Arabic
7.0
S1E1 - A Line in the Sand
Michael lands at Tangier in Morocco after crossing the Straits of Gibraltar, and passes through the High Atlas mountains after brief stops in Fez and Marrakesh. From here, the Sahawari people help him to negotiate the harsh, rugged terrain and guide him south to the Mauritanian border.
Oct. 13, 2002, midnight
6.0
S1E2 - Destination Timbuktu
After a brief stopover in cosmopolitan Senegal, Michael endures two nights aboard the train to Bamako, where he meets up with the renowned kora player Toumani Diabete. Meanwhile, the Dogon people of West Africa introduce Michael to some of their origin myths, and a trip down the River Niger turns out to be far from plain sailing.
Oct. 20, 2002, midnight
S1E3 - Absolute Desert
Michael reaches Timbuktu along with a camel train carrying the giant salt blocks that made the city one of the greatest centres of Islamic learning up until the 16th century. He wanders through the rubble that is 21st century Timbuktu to find the Imam who shows him original astronomical textbooks that predate Galileo's discoveries by 200 years.
Oct. 27, 2002, midnight
S1E4 - Dire Straits
Michael arrives at the border of Niger and Algeria, the most desolate crossing, and then turning north Michael passes through the mountains of the Hoggar massif before pausing in the oil and gas fields of central Algeria. Then onto Libya to attend the very last reunion of the Desert Rats of Tobruk, before turning west along the North Coast past deserted classical sites at Apollonia, Cyrene and Leptis Magna.
Nov. 3, 2002, midnight
Network: BBC One
Episode Runtime: 60 min.
Season Runtime: 240 min.
Released: Oct. 13, 2002
Last Air Date: Nov. 3, 2002, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
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